It’s crazy here in Nats town, because contrary to what everyone expected, the team is winning. On Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that is major in the US but minor in Mexico (go figure) there are some things to be celebrated. Let’s go down the list:
- The Nats have the 6th best record in the NL, 11th best in the majors.
- Alot of what their success is based on clutch pitching and strong defense. Who’d have thunk it?
- Dunn hasn’t even started hitting yet. But he will.
- They have a pitcher that doesn’t wilt after throwing 41 pitches in the first inning. He also is second in the majors in ERA with 0.99, has a 4-1 record, and continues to deal. Livan has been a pleasant surprise this season so far, no doubt.
- Zimmerman looks as good as he did last year. No, wait, better.
- The defense has been good this year. Good! We saw flashes of it after Nyjer first came to town, but to see it in action from the start of the season is a welcome change.
- Ian Desmond has the 6th highest OPS for a SS in the NL. He’s tied for #2 in SLG. He’s also showing excellent range and hasn’t committed all the errors that everyone thought were certain. Only 2 since that first week. He’s also tied for 2nd on the team in RBIs with Zim, behind The Judge.
- Stephen Strasburg is one step away from being on the major league team. There is little doubt that he’ll be up before the kids are out of school.
- Drew Storen may be up even sooner.
- Cristian Guzman looks tradeable at the moment.
- Scott Olsen has actually been good. There was one real bad start, but the last two have been impressive.
- That bullpen, along with the defense, has probably been the biggest turnaround story for this team. And it only should get better when Storen arrives. Tyler Clippard has shined, and has a K/9 of 11.44 right now. Oh yeah, and an ERA of 0.46.
- Ivan Rodriguez is still batting over .400.
There are a few things to say “Salud” to before you drink your Corona tonight. Or, if you have good taste, before you drink your Dos Equis or Negra Modelo.